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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. tear — to rip
  3. kid — child
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rest — a break
  8. band — a music group
  9. rest — what's left
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bear — the animal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bear — the animal
  24. band — a ring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com